Fortune-telling apparatus.



No. 63l,673. Patented Aug. 22, |899. F. A. RICHTER. FORTUNE TELLING APPARATUS.

(Application med my e, 1897.) (Nn Modem 4 Sheets-Sheet l. "L

Fig

fg J /im w No. 63|,673. Patented Aug. 22, |899. F. A. mcHTEn. FRTUNE TELLING APPARATUS.

(Application led July 6, 1897.) (No Model.) A 4 sheets-sheer 2.

MIU

No. 634,673. Patented Aug. 22, |899. F. A. momen.

FDRTUNE TELLING APPARATUS. (Application led July 8, `1897.) (No Model.) 4heets-sneat 3.

Fig. Fig.

No. 63I,673. Patented Aug. 22, |899.

F. A. RICHTER.

FORTUNE TELLING APPARATUS.

(Applicaltion led July 6, 1897. (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Fig. 8

v l? M UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIEDRICH ADOLF RICHTER, RUDOLSTADT, GERMANY.

FORTUNE-TELL-ING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,673, dated August 22', 1899.

Application iiled July 6, 18,97. Serial No. 643,598. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH ADonF RICH- TER, of Rudolstadt, in theAPrin'cipality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt', German Empire, have invented a certain'` newand useful Improvement in Fortune-Telling Apparatus; and I dohereby declare'that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionY of the ini vention, which will enable others skilled in thev art to which it appertains to use'the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to fortune-telling and similar apparatus wherein upon the apparatus being set for a certain question by the user a suitable answer to such question is caused to appear.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which will be simple in construction and which willat the same time operate satisfactorily in that appropriate answers will be given to the various questions asked and that the answers given in succession to one and the same question will vary each time, so that the same answer will not occur twice in succession. y

To this end the apparatus contains two circles or circular groups of questions and answers, (or corresponding figures or characters,) the said two circles or groups being directly or indirectly connected with each other in a manner to be more fully hereinafter described and explained.

The apparatus is intended to operate in this Wise, that each time upon the one circle or group having been set for a certain question or character a differentanswer or character of the other circle or group-ibut always adapted to and befitting the respective question or character for which the tirst circle or group has been set--will appear or be indicated at an opening or window provided in the apparatus. This variety of indication is, according to this present invention, effected not by means of any complicated mechanism, but simply by so arranging' the two circles or groups of questions and answers or other characters relatively to each other that the act itself of setting the one circle or group for a certain question or character will simultaneously cause the circle or group of answers to be shifted in such a manner as to thereby to convey upon the user the impression that 'the answer or character is made to appear in vconsequence of some mysterious operation taking place within the apparatus and not by the mere act of setting the apparatus for the l respective question and simultaneously with such setting, I provide inconnection with the .apparatus mechanism which will normally keep the opening or window for the answers covered by a movable plate and will remove such plate to uncover the yrespective answer only when a coin has been inserted in the apparatus.

In the apparatus shown the questions are supposed to be imprinted on a stationary dial provided on the outside of the casing of the apparatus, whereas the answers are imprinted on an 'endless band carried over suitable rolls A and B, mounted within the casing of the apparatus, the said rolls by their rotation movingthe said band along, so as to display the questions or'characters thereon behind the show-window or opening provided therefor in a suitable place on the casing.

In the drawings illustrating the invention,

y Figures ll and 2 are a front and a side elevation, respectively, of the inner mechanism with parts broken away. Figs. 3 and 4 are details to be described of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a detail showing a modified arrangement of the endless band. Fig. 6 is anelevation showing the actuating mechanism with parts broken away. Fig. 64 is a plan view of the fly-actuating mechanism. Fig. 7 is a detail to be described. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the entire apparatus, showing the opening or window e for the answers and the coin-opening e', and being on a smaller scale.

In the apparatus hereinafter described and shown in the drawings the answers all dilfering from each other are arranged in a circle of two or :more groups, these being so adapted that each timewhen an endless band which IOS) contains the said groups of answers is moved forward to such an extent as will correspond' With the value representing the length of a group a dilferent answer will be given to one and the same question, this occurring for such a number of times as will correspond with the number of groups of answers.

The opening or window e of the casing of the apparatus is normally kept closed by a movable plate, which thus covers from View the answers appearing behind the said opening or window. The questions are arranged on a stationary outer disk or dial, as shown in Fig. S, whereas the answers are printed on an endless band a', the latter being preferably carried over rolls A and B, as shown. In order to provide for a proper guiding of the endless band, and hence for an exact adjustment of the answers thereon, the said endless band is formed with equidistant apertures in its longitudinal center or near the two edges, the said apertures registering with and being entered bycorresponding pegs provided on one or both of the two rolls. As shown in Fig. l, the answers are made to appear on the same side of the apparatus on which the pointer or needle and the dial or disk containing the questions are mounted. To this end the transmission of movement between the pointer or needle an'd the roll A is effected by means of bevel-pinions. If it should be preferred to construct the mechanism so as to have the answers appear on 011e of the sides of the apparatus at a right angle to the dial or disk for the questions, then bevel-gears may be dispensed with and the usual pinions employed in their place.

The lever carrying the plate 7L for normally keeping the opening or window e closed and the lever n, provided with the upper flanged portion '11, for closing the coin-opening and carrying the pawl o, are mounted to oscillate on the axis f, and the latter has secured to it the angular portion fr, carrying at or near its end the retaining-pawl s. The pinion Z, rigid with the ratchet-wheel Zt and with the pointer or needle g', is mounted on the stationary axis Z/,whereas the bevel-pinion on', which meshes with the bevel-pinion p, and the pinion m, which meshes with the pinion Z, are mounted on the axis q' and move together. The number of teeth on the ratchet-wheel Zt" correspond with the number of questions provided for, and the ratio of transmission from the pinion Z to the roll A is adapted in accordance with the number of groups of answers on the endless band a. Thus assuming the said endless band to contain three groups of various answers lthe ratio of transmission will be such that upon the pointer or needle g and with it the pinion Z rigid therewith having been moved around the first time an answer of the iirst group of answers and befitting the respective question put will appear behind the window or opening e, whereas upon the pointer or needle having been moved around a second time a befitting answer of the second group and differing from the previous answer will appear behind the window or opening e, tbc.

The actuating mechanism is as follows: 1.'.

is a vertical shaft journaled in suitable bearings and carrying an upper cam-disk Z and a lower cam-disk 1.1,(shown in Fig. l,) thc former engaging the lower arm j) of the lever n, whereas the lower cam-disk, by means of a cam-groove provided therein, positively operates a lever x, pivoted to the wall of the casing and movably connected with the lower arm il of the bell-crank lever t' 'i'. The Vertical shaft u in the preferred construction of this mechanism, as shown in Fig. (5, receives rotary movement from a spring inclosed in the stationary spring-box 1 and operating the vertical shaft 2, having the pinions 3 and 5 and the ratchet-wheel 1, the said movement being transmitted by the pinion 5 engaging the pinion G of the shaft u. (Shown in Figti,) rlhe pinion (i also engages a pinion 7, secured to a vertical shaft, which operates a fly 9. The latter and with it the entire mechanism is normally prevented from moving bya wire ll, which in the position shown in Fig. 6 extends into the line of movement of the wings of the Ily. The said wire is secured to one end of a releasing-lever /1 the other end of the latter being arranged below the discharge end of the coin-duct lO, the inlet end of the said coin-duct being immediately below the opening or slot c. (Shown in Fig. S.) Immediately above the pinion t5 on the vertical shaft it is secured a cam e', having agradually ascending and descending cam-face, upon which the lowermost arm of the releasing-lever /y rests with a suitable lug or projection.

The operation is as follows: By rotating the pointer or needle y to the right the same is set opposite any desired question on the dial. The pawl o on the lever 'n is thereby pushed out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel Zt, so that the lever n will be swung to one side, thereby withdrawing its flanged upper end n from the opening for the coins, so that a coin may now be inserted. At the same time the roll A will have been rotated and the endless band a thereby moved along to such an extent as to bring a corresponding answer in position behind the window or opening e, where it will be visible from without when the plate ZL is subsequently removed, as hereinafter described. A coin having ,now been inserted, it is conveyed by the coin-duct l0, Fig. G, to the lever y, so as to depress the one and lift the other end of the same. The ily 9 is released by the adjoining end of the lever y, moving the wire l1, and the actuating mechanism (best shown in Figs. G and W) is started, the rotary movement of the shaft 2 being transmitted by the pinions 5 and 6 to the shaft u. The cam-disks t and t' are thus rotated. Above the latter is mounted a bellcrank lever having its shorter arm bent downward, so as to project into a cam-groove of the disk c, and having the outer end of its other arm movably connected by a link j to the lower arm 1l of the bell-crank lever t' i'. Since the disk t' participates in the movement of the shaft il., it will be seen that the lever IOC) IIO

will during each rotation of the said'shaft act to move the bell-crank lever t' t" laterally, so that the plate 7L, forming the outer end of the lever-arm t', will be removed from behind thel opening or show-window e and will allow the respective answer to be seen and read from without. At the same time the calndisk will have acted upon the lower arm p of the lever n, so as to cause its iianged upper end n' to again close the opening or slot e', and the pawl 0 will by this movement 'of the said lever n. have been brought into engagement with the ratchet-wheel t', thus preventing the pointer or needle g from being turned to lthe right during the rotary movement of the shaft u, whereas the turning of the same to the left is at the same time prevented by the engagement of the pawl s with the ratchet-wheel. Upon the shaft u having completed one rotation the releasing-lever y, one arm of which will inthe meantime have become gradually lifted by the ascending portion ot' the cam a, will when the said leverarm again descends from the highest point of the said cam, move the wire l1, Fig. 6, so that the y 9 and with it the entire actuating mechanism will be stopped. The lower arm 19 of the lever n will then be opposite the cutaway portionof the cam-disk t (see Fig. 3) and will not be restricted in its movements, but will keep the coin-opening closed until the pointer or needle g will have been turned to the right again, the object of this arrangement being to prevent the same answer being given to one question a number of times in succession.

It' it should be desired to arrange the endl less band a' so as to move in a horizontal direction and to provide for the answers being visible at a point corresponding to the location of the letter B in Fig. 5, then two shafts of smaller diameter may be substituted for one of the rolls, as indicated in the detail plan View or diagram Fig. 5, the said shafts in that case being provided on opposite sides of the opening or window e and sufficiently far apart from each other to guide that portion of the said band which is to be displayed at the point B' in a straight line.

It is obvious that instead of a movable pointer or needle g and a stationary plate or dial for the questions being provided this arrangement may be reversed by mounting the plate or dial so as to be rotated by means of a head or button relatively to a fixed arrow or other suitable mark, thelatter in this case being substituted for the movable pointer or needle. I also wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details of construction or arrangement described and shown, as these admit of various modications and variations within the scope of this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A fortune-telling apparatus comprising` a dial having a series of questions arranged thereon, a movable endless band having a number of groups of answers arranged thereon, the number of answers in each group corresponding to the number of questions onl the dial, and each answer in each group being appropriate to a given question on the dial, but the corresponding answers in the several groups to the same question differing from each other, a pointer mounted relative to said dial and adapted to be turned or moved to indicate a question thereon, and gearing operatively connecting said pointer and endless band, whereby the movement of said pointer once around said dial will cause said endless band' to move a distance equal to the space occupied by one group of answers, substantially as described.

2. In a fortune-telling apparatus, the combination of a casing, a surface having a number of questions imprinted thereon and another surface having a multiple number of groups of answers imprinted thereon, the number of answers in each group corresponding with the total number of questions, means for producing relative movement of the one surface with regard to the other, proportionate in extent to the relative numbers of questions and answers, as described, a window or opening in the said casing arranged in the line of movement of the answers on the one surface and allowing one answer at a time to be seen therethrough, a movable part normally covering from view the answer behind the said window or opening, and means for automatically removing the said part from behind the said window or opening, substantially as described.

3. In a fortune-telling apparatus, the combination of a casing having an opening for the insertion of coins, an outer plate or dial having a number of questions imprinted thereon, an endless traveling band mounted within the said casing and having a multiple number of groups of answers imprinted thereon, the number of answers in each group corresponding with the total number of questions on the said outer plate or dial, a window or opening in the said casing arranged in the line of movement of the answers on the said traveling band and allowing one answer at a time to be seen therethrough, a movable part normally covering from View the answer behind the said window or opening, a pointer or needle adapted to be rotated over the questions on the said outer plate or dial, means IOO IIO

for so transmitting movement from the said endless band having groups of answers arto a given question will through the medium of said interposed gears cause the endless band to be positively moved to display an appropriate answer, substantially as described. l In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in lche presence of t 'o subscribing witnesses.

FRIEDRICH ADOLP` RICHTER.

`\Vitnesses:

II. E. Scnninr, l ROBERT R. SCHMIDT. 

